


Pansies

by DaisyTwist



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst, Dave still dies, Hanahaki Disease, M/M, Not Happy, Vietnam War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:54:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29575695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaisyTwist/pseuds/DaisyTwist
Summary: “Klaus… I like you. I think I could love you, I just-”“Let me have this, Dave.”This is an AU where Klaus gets Hanahaki disease.
Relationships: Klaus Hargreeves/David "Dave" Katz
Comments: 5
Kudos: 23
Collections: EnKlave Fest 2021





	Pansies

Klaus watched Dave intently. He was talking about something, Klaus wasn’t listening. He was too busy watching. Klaus rolled his eyes over the other members of the group. James Morris, William Daniels, Eugene Ross, David Murphey, Raymond Evans. The other soldiers were nice to look at, some were even cute, but Klaus only had eyes for Dave. Klaus perked up as the other soldiers laughed loudly before patting Dave on the back and standing up to leave. He looked up at Dave as they left and slid over to sit near him.

“Hey Klaus. How’s it going.”  
“Good, Dave, How about you?” Klaus smiled up at him.   
“I’m doing just fine.” Dave smiled back and reached over to throw an arm around him. Klaus felt his lungs tickle slightly. He coughed and felt Dave pull back a little. A spot of blood appeared in the corner of his elbow and he tilted his head to look at.   
“Oh. You might want to go get that checked out.”  
“I’m okay.” Klaus pushed his eyebrows together staring at the blood.   
“Better go anyway.” Dave ruffled his hair. Klaus hummed.  
“You know how I feel about medical… places.”   
“Oh, but the nurses would fawn over you.” Dave grinned.  
“Why? Because I’m pretty?” Klaus fluttered his eyelashes and Dave laughed.

Klaus crouched beside a tent, dreamily looking at the puddle of blood in his hands. A single flower, one he recognized as a pansy, sat in the middle, darkened with blood, yet vibrant. His lungs burned slightly. Good ol’ Reggie had thought it not important for Klaus and his siblings to learn in detail about things like this. Still, Klaus had learnt a thing or two on the streets. Seen a thing or two too. _A pansy, huh?_ There was a joke there, but Klaus didn’t feel like completely formulating one. He mentally flicked through who the “object of his affections” could be. Finally he settled on Dave. It had to be Dave. Of course it was Dave. Sweet, confident, kind, caring, ~~sexy~~ , lovely Dave. Davey Dave. Of course. As selfish as he was, he didn’t feel right obligating Dave to fall in love with him. Klaus sighed and looked at the flower again.

“Hargreeves? Are you okay?”  
“Obviously not, Will.” Morris said, whacking Klaus on the back. The petals dislodged themselves from Klaus’ throat and he immediately curled his fingers around them. Dave smiled sympathetically from beside him. His lungs burned. He smiled back.  
“You should just tell her Klaus. I’m sure she’ll fall in love with you easily.” Daniels said.  
“Ahh… I prefer things like this to happen organically, you know?” Klaus winked. Dave shook his head and reached over with a napkin to wipe blood from the corner of Klaus’ mouth. Klaus cringed.   
“You should tell her if it’s really hurting you that badly.” Dave frowned.  
“I’ll be okay.”  
“If you say so.”   
“I do.”   
“Alright then.” 

Klaus doubled over, hacking up a bunch of unidentifiable petals.   
“Cover him!” Dave yelled.  
“If he would just tell his girl we wouldn’t have to cover him all the time!” Evans yelled.  
“He’s a romantic Ray, and judging by that photo in your pocket you are too.” Dave retorted. Evans blushed and turned his focus back to the battle, muttering. Klaus inhaled trying to catch his breath, feeling a pulling sensation in his chest. He pushed himself back up.   
“You okay?” Dave asked as Klaus slotted himself beside him.   
“Fine.”

Klaus closed his eyes and felt the warmth of Dave’s lips on his. And everything burned. His lungs, but also his toes, his fingertips, his heart, his mind, everything. And for a moment, Klaus hoped that the burning in his lungs would stop. But when Dave pulled away and smiled at him, Klaus was thrown into another fit of coughing. 

“Klaus...” Dave’s hand reached for his shoulder as he ran for the bathroom. Dave trailed behind him. Klaus thrust himself into the bathroom and kneeled over a toilet. Dave crouched beside him awkwardly as he heaved into the toilet. Klaus spit and leaned against the wall.   
“Wouldn’t have done that if I had known you weren’t up for it.” Dave teased lightly. Klaus smiled weakly.  
“Nah. I was more than up for it.” Klaus moved back to the toilet and coughed into it. He put his hands onto the seat and rested his chin on them. Gross, but he’d been in worse places. He watched the pansies and carnations and others that Klaus couldn’t identify mix with blood. It was strangely beautiful.  
“You need to tell her Klaus.”   
“They’ll figure it out… or they won’t.” Klaus shrugged.  
“So it’s a nurse then?”  
“Hmm?”  
“You said she’ll figure it out. If she’s a nurse then she’d be seeing you like this.”  
“Oh… I haven’t been going to see the nurses.”  
“Klaus.” Dave scolded gently. “They can’t cure you, unless you tell her of course, but they can give you things to make it easier.” Klaus spit into the toilet before flushing and standing up. Dave followed him, but stopped him at the door.   
“Is it a man?” Dave looked at him. Klaus stared back at him silently.

_Dave is oblivious._ Klaus thought at breakfast one morning. He didn’t notice how hard Klaus had coughed and thrown up after last night. (Klaus blushed at the thought.) Maybe people in the 60s just had less knowledge about this stuff. 

“It’s you.” Klaus admitted, spitting petals out. He couldn’t take the kisses and hand holding and everything else anymore. It just made it worse. Dave stared at him in mild surprise.  
“...I’m sorry.”  
“It’s okay. Not your fault.”  
“Maybe if I just…” Dave reached forward to brush Klaus’ hair from his forehead.  
“No. I’m ready for this.”  
“Klaus… I like you. I think I could love you, I just-”  
“Let me have this, Dave.” Klaus grabbed his wrist. “I’ve been wanting to die my entire life. I’m almost there.” Klaus’ lungs burned. Klaus’ heart burned and then broke. Dave didn’t love him. _Dave doesn’t love me.  
_“If that’s what you want…”  
“It is.”   
“No… Okay.” Dave paused for a second before pressing his lips to Klaus’ temple. Klaus coughed for a second before easily producing a daisy. Dave cringed.  
“I’m sorry.”  
“Stop. Lets go get ready.” Klaus stood up, willing himself not to cry and headed back over to the tent.  
“Okay.” Dave murmured and trailed after him. 

“Christ on a cracker, that was a close one, huh, Dave?” Dave didn’t respond. Klaus looked over at him. “Dave?” He punched Dave’s shoulder. Nothing. Klaus pulled him over onto his back. Klaus felt his finger tips go numb. He stared at Dave before pressing his hands over the bullet wound in his chest. He was speaking, but his mind blurred and he didn’t know what he was saying, just that he was pleading with Dave to stay with him. Finally when Dave was gone and all that was left was Klaus’ sobbing, the burning he’d been so familiar with for the last while intensified. Klaus leaned away from Dave and heaved up flower after flower. For the first time in months Klaus could breathe normally. Klaus pulled Dave into his chest and cried until Ross looked at him sadly and yelled at him to focus.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading :>
> 
> If you're 18+, you should join Elliott's house [Here](https://circumstellars.tumblr.com/post/636012194848473089/new-banner-new-post-thats-my-policy-new-info)


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